January 2015

What Colors Will Your Snowman Be?

The upcoming season in the church is Epiphany. It begs the question--have you ever experienced an epiphany moment? The online dictionary defines an epiphany as a sudden intuitive leap of understanding especially through an ordinary but striking occurrence.

Such a leap of understanding for me came after accepting Haley’s invitation to join her coloring in her new “Winter Fun” coloring book. We sat side by side at while she carefully searched. Eventually she chose the pages—hers was an ice pond with several children in hats, scarves and skates. My page was a snowman with black eyes, nose, buttons, hat and arms. The background was snow. “Well, this is going to be fun” I thought, as I eyed the white crayon in the bin—after all, snow people are white unless made with dirty spring snow, right? As Haley began choosing crayons, she turned her bright eyes to me and said, “Auntie Lou, what COLORS will your snowman be?” I stopped mid-reach as she exclaimed that it could be “snow cone colors” and maybe I should add a flower to its hat! I was immediately jolted out of my humdrum snowman rut, and soon a pink, green and blue snow person stood smiling on rainbow sherbet with a bright red flower on the hat. And I wondered—if I didn’t see a drawing in a coloring book as an invitation to be imaginative, what other possibilities was I missing?

Would you describe any aspect of your life operating in a snowman rut of sorts—missing all kinds of possibilities of seeing, thinking and doing? What about as we function in ministry together as a church? Perhaps in this new year we can look deeply at North Highland and see every wonderful thing it has been and is, and also see new possibilities or ideas for the future. Imagine how we might look with some new shades of ministry, process and people added as we “color” ourselves this year.

I invite you to join me to pray, dream and imagine at this start of 2015. I also invite you to color a snowman as we prepare for a year of possibilities. Anything goes! You may bring it back to the church and we will hang them in the fellowship hall. (Names are not necessary). I’m quite positive if you let yourself go and spend some time coloring a snowman you will have more fun that you might think. There will be coloring pages at the church as well as the one included. This year as we color our church history, let’s imagine just What Colors Our NHUMC Snowman Will Be!